The present disclosure relates to a filler neck closure assembly for a vehicle fuel tank, and particularly to a filler neck closure for use in a capless fuel tank filler neck.
A removable fuel cap with a sealing gasket is typically used to close the open end of a fuel tank filler neck. After an attendant fills the fuel tank and withdraws the pump nozzle from the filler neck, the fuel cap is attached to the filler neck so that the sealing gasket forms a seal between the fuel cap and the filler neck. Thus, the fuel cap closes the open end of the filler neck to block discharge of liquid fuel and fuel vapor from the fuel tank through the filler neck. Some fuel caps are provided with pressure-relief and vacuum-relief valves to permit some controlled venting of the fuel vapors in the filler neck while the fuel cap is mounted on the filler neck.
It has been observed that fuel caps are often lost or damaged over time and, as a result, the open end of the filler neck might not be closed and sealed in accordance with original equipment specifications during operations of the vehicle. Accordingly, a filler neck configured to xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d automatically as a fuel-dispensing pump nozzle is inserted into the filler neck during refueling and xe2x80x9cclosexe2x80x9d automatically once the pump nozzle is withdrawn from the filler neck without requiring an attendant to reattach a fuel cap to the filler neck would be an improvement over many conventional capped filler neck systems. Although conventional fuel caps function to close filler necks in a satisfactory manner, it is thought that a capless filler neck could make vehicle refueling more convenient for consumers because no action other than inserting a pump nozzle into the outer end of the filler neck would be required to begin refueling a vehicle.
According to the present disclosure, an illustrative filler neck closure assembly for a vehicle fuel tank filler neck includes a filler neck closure housing adapted to be coupled to the fuel tank filler neck. The filler neck closure housing is formed to include an outer aperture sized to receive a fuel-dispensing pump nozzle therein. The assembly also includes a dust shield mounted for movement relative to the filler neck closure housing to open and close the outer aperture of the filler neck closure housing. A lock of the assembly is coupled to the filler neck closure housing and is movable between a locked position to prevent the dust shield from opening the outer aperture and an unlocked position to allow the dust shield to open the outer aperture.
The lock includes a housing coupled to the filler neck closure housing and a lock blade movable relative to the housing between the locked position, where the lock blade is engaged with the dust shield, and an unlocked position, where the lock blade is disengaged from the dust shield. The lock housing includes a slot for receiving a portion of the lock blade therein. The lock blade moves within the slot, relative to the housing, between the engaged and disengaged positions.
The illustrative filler neck closure assembly further includes a lock actuator adapted to be coupled to the lock to move the lock blade within the slot of the lock housing between the engaged and disengaged positions. Illustratively, the lock actuator, is moved in a counterclockwise direction to disengage the lock blade from the dust shield.
The illustrative filler neck closure housing of the assembly includes a top wall to which the dust shield and lock are each coupled.